Chapter 143: Earth Vein Eruption! The Golden Flame Deep Within the Lava!

Deep within Redrock Canyon.

Rumble!

Another crimson pillar of fire erupted into the sky. Scorching lava exploded in midair, scattering into countless tiny sparks that rained across the mountainside, bathing the surrounding black rocks in a fiery red glow.

Victor stood atop a protruding rock, watching the earth vein fissure erupt several hundred meters away, in no hurry to approach.

Nearly half an hour had passed since he obtained his first High-Purity Fire Core.

Since then, he had followed the mountain path deeper into the canyon, where the conditions grew increasingly harsh. The temperature had risen considerably, and cracks covered more and more of the rocks beneath his feet.

But it was the repeated eruptions that caught his attention.

The pillars of fire erupted at different locations each time. After each eruption, the surrounding fire elements rapidly gathered before some mysterious force seemed to draw them back underground.

This was clearly different from ordinary earth vein activity.

"Could there really be something special down there?" Victor rubbed his chin.

Putting away his map, he continued along the mountainside, but he had not gone far when hurried footsteps sounded ahead.

Two professionals were approaching from the opposite side of the canyon. One had his left arm wrapped in a makeshift bandage, with obvious burn marks on his clothes. The other carried a broad-bladed longsword on his back and wore a grim expression.

Both men paused when they spotted Victor. The young man carrying the sword frowned as soon as he sensed his level.

"Level 23?"

He glanced at the road behind Victor, then toward the depths of the canyon.

"You’re planning to go farther inside?"

"Is there a problem?" Victor stopped walking.

Instead of answering, the swordsman gestured toward his companion.

"You go ahead."

Only after the injured professional continued toward the outer region did he lower his voice.

"The lava rift ahead is experiencing an earth vein eruption. A Second Tier magical beast has also appeared nearby. We almost got trapped inside by that thing."

"What level?"

"Level 36."

Victor considered this briefly. At Level 36, the beast had already entered the Second Tier, but the earth vein eruption interested him far more.

"Had the eruptions already started when you entered?"

"No." The young man shook his head. "Everything was relatively normal at first. We planned to search for fire-attribute minerals, but halfway through, a huge amount of lava surged out from underground. Even the original path was destroyed."

He added another warning.

"That magical beast has been wandering around the area. If we hadn’t escaped quickly, we probably wouldn’t have made it out."

Victor nodded. "Thanks for the warning."

Seeing that Victor had no intention of turning back, the swordsman felt somewhat helpless.

"I’d advise you not to go. That place isn’t somewhere a First Tier professional should be."

"I’ll be careful."

Without further explanation, Victor walked past him and continued deeper into the canyon.

The young man remained where he was, watching Victor leave before shaking his head.

"These noble young masters really are getting bolder and bolder."

He made no attempt to stop him. After all, he had already said everything he needed to say. If Victor still insisted on taking the risk, that was no longer his concern.

...

Victor finally reached the last relatively intact mountain path marked on his map.

Beyond this point, the rock walls on either side narrowed into a natural passageway. At its end lay an enormous basin surrounded by lava.

A stone bridge seemed to have once provided explorers with a route across the area, but it had collapsed, leaving only a few broken sections of black rock suspended above the rift.

Dozens of meters below, dark-red lava flowed through the depths. Occasionally, bubbles rose to the molten surface and burst violently, sending gusts of scorching air upward.

Rather than attempt a reckless crossing, Victor crouched down and studied the direction of the currents below.

After a while, his attention settled on the center of the basin, where a slightly elevated mound of black stone stood. Fine crimson patterns covered its surface, making it stand out against the surrounding rocks.

Stranger still, several streams of lava flowing outward noticeably changed direction whenever they passed near the mound.

Victor extended his right hand, activating his High Level Fire Element Affinity.

The surrounding fire-attribute mana became clearer within his perception. Most of it flowed slowly along the earth veins, but near the black stone mound, it moved in an unusual, almost rotational pattern.

It was as though all the fire elements within the basin were circulating around that single location.

Yet the mound itself emitted no particularly strong mana fluctuations, which puzzled him.

The more he studied the currents, the less sense it made. With so much fire-attribute mana gathering around the mound, he should have been able to sense a stronger reaction from it. Instead, only the surrounding flow revealed anything unusual. Whatever lay beneath that black stone, watching from the edge of the basin would not be enough to identify it.

"Could something underground be absorbing the fire elements?"

Victor stood up, intending to find a better observation point, when a low growl came from the rocky passage behind him.

Roar!

An oppressive surge of scorching heat followed, rapidly approaching.

Victor turned to see a black-and-red magical beast nearly four meters long slowly emerging from the other end of the passage.

It resembled an ordinary hunting hound, though its limbs were far more muscular. A row of sharp bone spikes, like solidified lava, ran along its back. Crimson liquid dripped continuously from the corners of its mouth, producing wisps of white smoke wherever it struck the ground.

Most striking of all was the dark-red pattern pulsing across its chest.

Information appeared before Victor.

[Name: Molten Vein Hound]

[Level: 36]

[Life Tier: Second Tier]

[Attribute: Fire]

[Characteristics: Capable of sensing fire-element fluctuations within earth veins. Possesses powerful explosive speed and tracking abilities. Specializes in hunting within lava environments.]

...

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